EXPLORING MY ADOPTED CITY AND BEYOND
The lines blur incoherently between the changing seasons. In Australia, I eagerly counted down the days until March, when the stifling heat of a long and unrelenting summer was meant to stand gallantly aside, allowing autumn to respectfully saunter in. It never did. The eucalypt leaves, brittle like corn chips, crunched noisily under foot. Months… Continue reading
Alighting from any train station in London is a little like stepping back in time. Of course, the modern city of the 21st century, with its financial beating heart and diverse contemporary architecture has its feet firmly planted in the here and now. Yet one cannot turn a cobbled corner without being jolted back to… Continue reading
Tucked inside London’s inner city north lies an expansive parkland spanning 320 hectares of ancient woodlands and picturesque wild meadows. Hampstead Heath sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the city’s highest points, between the pretty neighbourhoods of Hampstead and Highgate. The Heath, as it is warmly referred to by the locals, is a tranquil… Continue reading
Camera in hand, I have spent the last year or so exploring and documenting my travels around this vibrant and enigmatic city that I now call home. More than simply a travel journal, The Sunday Londoner was created by an inherent need to focus on the beautiful and inspirational at a time when my sense… Continue reading
As we drift in and out of sleep, in our little rented apartment four stories above the city of Madrid, the low murmur of merriment rises from the street below, where the throng of festive revelry continues, unabated in its collective ebb and flow. Theirs is a familiar noise that would keep me wide awake… Continue reading
There is something truly wonderous about visiting a place for the very first time; the thrill of discovering new and delightful marvels is what draws us to travel in the first place. Monumental museums, their glass cabinets brimming with curiosities and unfamiliar trinkets from some other, long forgotten time beckon us inside. Inimitable paintings created… Continue reading
There are important key factors which one promptly learns when making London one’s new place of residence. Number 1: The city’s pubs and restaurants book out extremely quickly and reservations in advance are almost always a must if you want to avoid disappointment and be left standing on a cold corner clutching a less than… Continue reading
‘Do come in as often as you like – the place is only alive when used’. – Jim Ede Below the watchful gaze of a tiny stone church, whose tall, pointed steeple far exceeds its miniscule size, rests a cluster of unassuming brick cottages, their humble façades belying the artistic treasures that lay within. Kettle’s… Continue reading
As the winter evenings close in and the temperature plummets to chilly single digits, my thoughts turn from sun-filled garden walks in the scenic grounds of historical manor houses to cosy fireside pub meals in quaint little villages, their alleyways festooned with early Christmas decorations and twinkling festive lights. Swaddled in our finest woollens and… Continue reading
Moving to England during one of the country’s many pandemic lockdowns – number three I believe this particular one was – presented a great deal of frustration and unrest for this wandering soul. One of the most exhilarating aspects of moving to a new city or country is the delightful pleasure of exploration and discovery.… Continue reading